Cricket-Angry Collingwood calls for change to rain rules

PROVIDENCE, Guyana May 3 (Reuters) - Frustrated England captain Paul Collingwood demanded change to the way rain-affected games are decided after his team lost to West Indies in their shortened Twenty20 World Cup game on Monday.

England batted superbly for a score of 191 for five from their 20 overs but a rain delay meant West Indies won by scoring just 60 for two from 5.5 overs.

"It is very, very frustrating," Collingwood said. "Ninety-five percent of the time you are going to win with a score of 191 but the Duckworth-Lewis method somehow changed that," he said.

The Duckworth-Lewis method is the established calculation system for reducing a target total in a game affected by rain delays in one-day games.

In the Twenty20 version of the game a match can have a result after as few as five overs in an innings and the shorter spans can shift the balance heavily in favour of the team batting second.

Collingwood said Monday's game, where England lost despite scoring more than three times as many runs as their opponents, showed the system did not work in the shortest format.

"There is a major problem with Duckworth-Lewis for this form of the game," he said. "I've got no problem with it in one-day games but for Twenty20 the system has got to be changed.

"We played a near perfect game and lost."

West Indies captain Chris Gayle said he agreed with Collingwood that a review was needed.

"It was unfortunate for England to lose in this manner. I think it is something to look into.

"I support what Collingwood said -- I could have been in that situation too. It is something we need to address so it can be even-stevens for both teams," he added.

The day's other game was also decided after a rain-delay calculation. Sri Lanka batted first and made 173 for seven while Zimbabwe made 29 for one from five overs before the rain came down.

Had Zimbabwe managed just 15 more runs in those opening overs they would have beaten Sri Lanka and eliminated them from the tournament.

Gayle said the prospect of a recalculation had led him to start the innings in an ultra-aggressive manner.

"We knew that the weather was going to play a part and that first five could play a part so we decided to go hard," he said.

England can still make it to the Super Eight stage of the competition if they beat Ireland on Tuesday and Collingwood said he just wanted a full game.

"I pray for 20 overs v 20 overs and hopefully if we get that we can win," he said.

(Writing by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by Kevin Fylan; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)